


Air: Foetid and Fresh

by tielan



Category: Angel: the Series
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-12
Updated: 2016-02-12
Packaged: 2018-05-19 22:13:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 434
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5982532
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tielan/pseuds/tielan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This is not how Gunn imagined spending his birthday.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Air: Foetid and Fresh

**Author's Note:**

  * For [evildevilgirl02](https://archiveofourown.org/users/evildevilgirl02/gifts).



This wasn’t how Gunn hoped to be spending his twenty-fifth birthday.

“It’s kind of the job,” Fred pointed out as their boots sloshed through unmentionable slime. “Unfortunately, the end of the world doesn’t stop for things like holidays and anniversaries. In fact, given celestial movements and whatnot, it’s more likely that big supernatural crises would happen during seasonal holidays, at least.”

“I didn’t think things like stars lining up did all that much in time with the calendar,” Gunn commented, keeping an eye on the twists and turns of the passageway so they wouldn’t miss their exit. “And I didn’t think that _rhythoth_ demons had any inkling it was my birthday.”

Not that he was complaining, exactly – after all, time spent with Fred was time spent with Fred, whether it was at a dinner for two or fighting skeletal demons with magic dust. Although, really, he would have preferred a dinner of burgers at the diner to the magic dust, which had made him sneeze.

Wes had assured him that the dust wasn’t dangerous to humans – just a bit ticklish in the nose. Gunn was going to take English’s word on that, although if he started dissolving then that would make this birthday  _suck_ .

“Do you think demons have a network?” Fred wondered idly. “Like the internet, only for demons.”

“I figured they’d just stick with the internet.” If Gunn had thought about it at all. Which he mostly hadn’t, because his world was pretty weird as it was, and the idea of demons on the internet only made it weirder. “Would they call it the undernet?”

“Maybe.” Fred shrugged as she skirted around a particularly foetid pool of hell-only-knew-what. “I guess it depends on whether they have hands.”

“And claws.” Gunn mused. “ ‘Cause typing’s bad enough if you don’t have nimble fingers.”

Fred glanced at him. “There’s nothing wrong with your fingers.” The look she gave him was impish, even in the shadows.

He grinned over at her, remembering last night in bed. “Well, I guess they’re good for some things anyway.”

“I’m sure they could get better. With practice.”

Gunn laughed, hearing the echoes along the sewers. “Down, girl. We’re nearly home anyway.”

They reached the turnoff that led beneath the hotel and climbed the ladder to reach the corridor into the basement.

“Oh, fresh air.” Fred exhaled with a great huff, then squeaked as Gunn leaned over and kissed her on the cheek. He’d been aiming for her mouth, but she’d turned her head and so he had to try agai—

As it turned out, Fred didn’t want air  _that_ much.


End file.
